She wouldn’t have thought she’d be the type of girl to like a man being possessive about her, yet here she was. “Why would you be yelling?”
“It’s us. We’re loud.”
He had a point. “Fine. I’m vetoing Snookums, though.”
Graham released a long-suffering sigh and got to work packing his things. Half an hour later as they descended the stairs, he tossed over his shoulder, “Love Muffin?”
“No.”
“Sparky?”
“No.”
“Wonder Woman?”
Claire paused. “That’s an improvement, but still no.”
He continued without hesitation, “Wait, I’ve got it. Lambchop.”
She snorted.
Graham kept going as they exited the store through the back and continued spouting off suggestions the entire drive to the condo, each one worse than the last.
Claire laughed and rolled her eyes the entire way.
When he pulled into her usual spot and put the car in Park Claire made no move to get out. She gently ran her hand along Gertrude’s fur and looked over at Graham, admiring his large body situated in her driver’s seat. His dark, sexy eyes assessed her curiously, his hair a mess from spending the weekend in a tent.
“What?” he asked.
She lifted her chin and met his gaze. “Is this our future? Your never-ending quest to find some perfect nickname for me, constantly hounding me, and driving me crazy?”
“Probably.” He grinned. “Especially the drive-you-crazy part.”
She shook her head, smiling.
“You okay with that?” he asked.
She put on a show of considering her options, scrunching her nose and lifting her shoulders. They both knew the answer, though.
“Yeah,” she said, because she was.
She so was.
EPILOGUE
One Year Later
Something was off.
Ruthie had been shifty all day, avoiding eye contact and checking her watch. Claire might not have noticed, but the ER was unusually slow （she’d never say the word out loud lest she jinx it） and as she propped her feet up on the desk, careful not to knock over her coffee, she eyed her friend.
“What’s with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re being weird.”
“I’m not being weird.”
Claire stared. Did a slow blink.
Ruthie sat down with a huff. “Fine. I have a date tonight and I’m nervous, okay?”
“You what?” Claire’s feet dropped to the ground and she held up her hand. “About time you moved on from that bitch of an ex.”
Ruthie eyed Claire’s hand with distaste. “I don’t do high-fives. And she wasn’t a bit—” She paused. “Okay, she was. Anyway, I’m just a little out of sorts today.”
Claire dropped her arm. “I used to get nervous before dates, too. But you’re a catch, and if this woman knows anything about what’s good and wonderful in this world, she’ll see it right away. I have no doubt. And if it doesn’t go well just call me and I’ll meet you for booze and greasy burgers.”
Ruthie laughed. “Deal.” An alert sounded on her phone and she dug it out of her pocket. A strange look passed over her face and she tucked it away. “Hey, I’ve gotta check on this patient in 7, could you do me a huge favor and grab some small gloves from the back supply room? I didn’t realize we were out up here.”
Claire shrugged, not even glancing around to see if a tech or assistant could do the task instead. She had nothing else to do until the scan results were back for pod 3, anyway. “Sure.”
The supply room was at the end of a short hallway, even more silent than usual on the quiet day. This spot was one of her places to escape for a breather when things were especially chaotic in the main space.
She swiped her badge and the lock clicked open. The overhead light was already on, and she eyed the glove boxes stacked like LEGOs along the left side for a moment before realizing she wasn’t alone.
His delicious scent was the first thing she noticed—and a good thing, too, or else she might have screamed bloody murder—and turned to find Graham propped against the opposite shelf. His upper back rested against the metal, one foot crossed over the other. Tan, muscled arms crossed in front of his chest and one corner of his mouth tipped up in a cocky grin.
“The hell are you doing in here?”
He pushed off and took two slow steps forward. “I missed you.”
Same, but she had a reputation to uphold in this relationship. She propped a hand on her hip. “So you came to accost me in a supply room at work?”